It is generally known to position ink application rollers in contact with a plate cylinder. These ink application rollers transfer ink to plates on the plate cylinder from ink friction cylinders which are supported for rotational movement, and which also simultaneously move back and forth in an axial direction. Because of the back-and-forth movement of these ink friction cylinders, an even ink distribution over half the width of the plate cylinder becomes possible, for example with so-called panoramic printing, even though the ink ductor roller has over its length a plurality, for example three, grooves located on its circumference with these grooves receiving separating shield portions of ink boxes or reservoirs which are disposed in the axial direction of the ink ductor roller.
A disadvantage with this type of inking system is that in those cases where a half-cylinder-wide panoramic print of maximum width and two quarter-cylinder-wide prints of maximum width are being printed, the inks are apt to run together when being transferred. This is because the length of the axial stroke of the ink friction cylinder must at least correspond to the width of an ink-free zone which results from a separating wall between two ink boxes or reservoirs and which must be compensated by the ink friction cylinder in case of panoramic printing. In this case, the distances of the ink-free zones between the type matter of maximum width on the plates of the plate cylinder are less than the distances between the ink-free zones on the ink ductor, so that the individual inks are apt to run together on the type matter.